Empty
by AnimeFreakManiac101
Summary: 'Empty. That's what I feel most of the time. Like there's no emotion inside of me. Some people call it depressed. I call it normal.' SasuNaru. Naruto becomes depressed with Kyuubi whispering false things in his mind. He thinks he's fooled everyone, but there's a certain someone who won't stop until he's found out what has happened to the blonde.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: 'Empty. That's what I feel most of the time. Like there's no emotion inside of me. Some people call it depressed. I call it normal.' SasuNaru.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. If I did, Sasuke and Naruto would be an actual couple.**

**A/N: A lot of these chapters will probably be in Naruto's point of view. But I will have some in Sasuke's maybe one in Sakura's if I decide to go in that direction. I'll tell you whose POV it is so you're not guessing the entire time. I hate it when I have to do that -_- . Anyways! Enjoy!**

_**EMPTY**_

Empty. That's what I feel most of the time. Like there's no emotion inside of me. Some people call it depressed. I call it normal. There are times when I do feel something. It's usually anger, rarely sad. I had long forgotten what being happy felt like. Of course, like any other person, I cried as well. But at the said time, I would feel nothing, like usual. Confusing, right? It's difficult to explain and even harder to live with it, questioning everything. _'If I was normal, what would I be feeling now?'_

I thought often of death. Not to actually plan to kill myself, God no. But to wonder who would notice that I was gone first. Who would miss me the most-or even at all. That kind of stuff.

What made these thoughts grow, you ask? The fact that the one person you love constantly puts you down, showing just how superior he is to me. And how girls fell all over him. No one paid me attention, but he had the spotlight almost all the time. He had money, attention, and good looks. But that's where the charms stopped for the girls. He's a betraying bastard who seemed to lack a heart. But I was just like his fan girls. I fell for him twice as hard as any of them. Mind you, I was a lot quieter about my crush for him than they were.

But no one caught on to how I really felt. I had a mental switch, see? Emotionless face one second. Someone walks into the room. Happy-go-lucky Naruto that everyone knows and despises. Yes. They despise me. After all, who would like me? The freaky demon vessel? No one, that's who.

There were days when I feel as though I can't put up the façade. So I would stay home from training, saying I was sick when they came back and asked why I wasn't there.

One thing that did help me, however, was my music. When I had nothing to do, which was often, I would turn some music on. Mostly metal. I know, not what all of my 'friends' thought I would normally listen to. But I usually ignored the lyrics at first and just listened to the instruments. I liked to decipher which played where, how fast the beat was at certain parts of a song, and to just try to get a glimpse of their current feelings at that moment of time. With metal, you get an easy to understand feeling if you found it.

To some people, it sounded like kids screaming into microphones, banging on instruments they didn't know how to use. To others, it was party music. To me, it was my haven. I knew what sadness was when I saw or heard it, so I looked for it. It was hard to find in some songs, buried under the anger they mixed into the songs. And that was the thrill to me: trying to find it and understand what inspired them to play it. The latter wasn't hard really, once you listened to the song again and paid attention to the lyrics.

-SasuNaruSasu-

And now I'll tell you how the kunais came into the picture. We were almost to Konoha after a mission. Nothing too big. But Sakura had been talking the entire way back about how I had somehow screwed their plan up. My act was slipping fast. A familiar feeling rose in my chest. Anger. Anger at Sakura for not shutting up. Anger at Kakashi for pointing it out. Anger at myself for being so stupid. And anger at Sasuke for smirking, calling me a dobe, then fixing what I messed up. My hands turned into fists and I wanted to hit her. I kept in mind that I couldn't, but before I could tell myself anything else, one thing interrupted my thoughts. Sasuke. Like always. "If you wouldn't be so pathetic and became a little smarter, you wouldn't be so useless." He had said in his annoying, usual, all-knowing tone. A punch to the face he didn't expect sent him flying into the nearest tree. "I'm going home." I hissed before disappearing. Only a minute later, I was home, listening to my usual metal. Then I spotted my kunai bag on my bed. I deserved to be hurt. I let my act slip, probably hinted to my entire team that something wasn't right. I drew the sharp blade to my wrist. Then stopped. I slipped my pants off and rolled up a little of my boxers. Cutting two long marks that almost wrapped around my entire thigh on both sides.

That's when I felt something. I felt... light. A smile, not a fake nor sarcastic smile graced my lips. I knew that in order for me to keep doing this, I would need to limit myself. If I marked my entire body, people would see. And any sign of weakness others saw was not acceptable to me! Naruto Uzumaki was not weak! I was anything but to have survived the last 18 years of my life!

**A/N: Well there it is. The first chapter to my very first actual fanfic. I hope you all enjoyed it! It took me a while to figure out how to fit some things in there and take out. This chapter is just explaining some things and I can already tell you there will be at least another one like it. I have a majority of the entire story already written, so I guess I'll let you guys decide if I should continue putting these up. Constructive criticism would be appreciated. And here's a sneak peek of Chapter 2 to help decide if you want to keep reading or not!**

**"Once home, I literally threw them onto the table and turned on my music. The bass, drums, lyrics pounded into me as I turned it up. As I turned around to get a banana, my music stopped. Grabbing the yellow fruit, I turned to see what had happened and almost dropped my healthy snack in shock. What the hell was he doing in my house?"**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Summary: 'Empty. That's what I feel most of the time. Like there's no emotion inside of me. Some people call it depressed. I call it normal.' SasuNaru. Naruto becomes depressed with Kyuubi whispering false things in his mind. He thinks he's fooled everyone, but there's a certain someone who won't stop until he's found out what has happened to the blonde.**_

_**A/N: Thanks to all of you guys who reviewed on my stories! Well, here's the next chapter to this story. Hope y'all like it! I don't own Naruto, sadly.**_

The morning after the incident, I went to training with a smile on my face. I was happy. I felt light with the cuts I added to my new collection this morning and I was still a little boastful that I had caught the great Sasuke Uchiha off guard. That soon faded when I was met by a mob of fan girls. "What did you do to Sasuke's face?" They screamed at me at once. Confused, I stole a glance in his direction and smiled.

"It's obvious. I made him look better." I answered with a laugh. Looking at him again, I took in his appearance. Still stunning good looks, annoyed posture, and a glare that made me chuckle. His entire left eyes was swelling and was a dark purple.

Then Kakashi appeared. He was in the middle of feeding us one of his lame excuses when he opened his eye and saw Sasuke's face. He stopped what he was saying and stared. He then straightened up to compose himself. With a wave of his hand and a 'Buzz off', the annoying fan girls were gone.

We did our usual training and, of course, I goofed off. My happiness was already gone and my act was doing its job. Sasuke, however, kept looking over at me. I didn't know what his problem was, but it was ticking me off. "Take a picture, it'll last longer." I mumbled. But alas! He heard me! What a surprise.

"Why would I want a picture of you?" A tiny cut to my heart. I wasn't about to get angry from that. I was fixing to say one of my amazing comebacks when Sakura hit me on my head. I wanted to hit her back but couldn't. I was supposed to be in love with her, not _him._ I clutched my head in pain and hissed. "That hurt Sakura-chan!" I whined like usual.

"Stop pestering Sasuke, you idiot! He can do whatever he wants!" She yelled. Another cut to the hart. That last part got me thinking.

If it was _me _who just up and left for two-three years, would I be welcomed as easily as him? I mean, after all, we didn't even get to the gates before the fan girls started squealing. When I took him to the Hokage, she immediately put him as an anbu. Within a week, he was trusted again and back in Team 7.

But if it were me, what would happen then? The possibilities stayed in my mind for the entire day. I didn't realize Sasuke repeatedly glancing at me nor the looks he and Kakashi shared.

When I was finally allowed to go home, I wasted no time. I went to the store to buy an excessive amount of ramen, because that's what the old Naruto would do.* Most of these wouldn't be eaten anyway.

Once home, I literally threw the cups of ramen onto the table and turned on my music. The bass, the drums, and the lyrics pounded into me as I turned it up. As I turned around to go back into the kitchen to get a banana, my music stopped. Grumbling about the electricity, I snatched up my yellow fruit. I then turned around to see what had happened and almost dropped my healthy snack. What the hell was he doing in my apartment?

-SasuNaru-

Sasuke was there, standing in the living room of my apartment. He had obviously turned my music off, for his finger was still on the button. I fixed a scowl on my face as I crossed my arms. "There's such a thing called knocking. It does wonders." I growled at him. He glared at me and then I noticed his black eye was gone.

"Sakura healed it." He said, as if reading my mind.

"That doesn't explain why you're in my house." He shrugged.

"Kakashi sent me here to check up on you." And like that, my mental switch flipped.

"Aw man! Why couldn't he have sent Sakura instead of you, teme?" I complained in my usual Naruto voice. His eyes narrowed, my guess from calling him a teme.

"Because she didn't notice." He said softly. I chose to ignore him.

"So then? Why'd he send you?"

"I already told you. To che-" He said before I interrupted him.

"Ya ya. But why? Did something happen that I wasn't aware of?" I asked, getting slightly nervous.

"Maybe. Maybe not. I don't know what's going on in his mind." He answered. I studied him carefully. Then a grin placed itself on my lips. "Ne, Sasuke?"

"Hn?"

"Wanna go get some ramen?"

"…"

I complained, just like I usually did until the Uchiha finally gave in. "Yes! You're paying!" I practically shouted. A grunt was my response as I dragged him to Ichiraku's, almost against my own will. A while back, I had gotten sick of ramen. I only kept eating the vile stuff to keep up my act.

I greeted the old man like usual and sat down. He looked over at us and fixed our orders without even asking us. He looked at me. "Sasuke's paying?" he asked. I grinned like the fool I was acting to be and nodded. The teme spoke something under his breath that I chose to ignore. He sure wasn't nice sometimes.

We talked about the usual stuff. Well, I talked mostly while he gave noises. "You sound like an animal." I had commented a few weeks ago once. He just raised an eyebrow. "Ya know. With those grunt and all. You sound like an animal." I explained. He rolled his eyes and turned away, as if he didn't care. But I didn't hear any grunts for an entire week afterwards.

So as I ate my third bowl-ugh!- he decided to speak. "Since when did you start listening to that?" He asked, referring to my music.

"A long time ago. Duh, teme." I joked as a fourth bowl of steaming hot ramen materialized in front of me. I shoved a mouthful into my mouth and slurped. "Why do you act?" He asked, causing me to choke. I swallowed what noodles were in my mouth as I coughed. Taking long sips from my water to buy time, I thought.

"Wh-what do you mean teme? You could've killed me, you know!" I yelled, hoping to change the subject.

"No one would care." My hear was ripped in half with those four words. But something like that wouldn't face Naruto Uzumaki! So I just blew it off. "Ha! Ya right!" I exclaimed. Then I shoveled some more food into my mouth.

"You didn't answer my question." He said lowly, getting angry. When in doubt, play dumb.

"Nani? What question?" I asked innocently. His eyebrow twitched. Yup, definitely getting mad.

"Why. Do. You. Act?" He spoke slowly. I gritted my teeth in frustration but gave him a confused smile.

"I don't know what you're talking about teme." I said before putting more food into my mouth.

"Yes you do." He replied smoothly, staring into my eyes. His gaze was so focused, it sent chills down my spine. I gulped.

"Nope. Not a clue."

"Don't like to me, idiot."

"Not lying." His eyes narrowed dangerously. Before either of us could say anything else, Tsunade yelled for me. I ran off before he could stop me with a 'Hold up Baa-chan' towards the old woman.

_**A/N: There you go! I hope you all enjoyed it! Sorry about this one being so short. But honestly, this is two chapters combined. ^^; Sorry, again. I'll try to make longer chapters in the future. But until then, you're gonna have to deal with these. I appreciate all the reviews so far. I honestly do read them all. If you have any questions about the story, feel free to leave a review or just message me. I will get back to you. Probably the next day since I have no life T.T**_

_*** You will probably be hearing this often. I will explain what this is all about in later chapters. But for now, use you're imagination!**_

_**Ja ne!**_

_**-AMF**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Summary: 'Empty. That's what I feel most of the time. Like there's no emotion inside of me. Some people call it depressed. I call it normal.' SasuNaru. Naruto becomes depressed with Kyuubi whispering false things in his mind. He thinks he's fooled everyone, but there's a certain someone who won't stop until he's found out what has happened to the blonde. **_

_**A/N: Sorry it took me so long to put this one up. But it's finally here! I don't own Naruto! Also, this one is in Sasuke's point of view.**_

He was hiding something, I knew that much. Today, I saw him smiling. Not like every other day. No, this smile was _real. _That is, until he caught me staring at him. But when Sakura had butted in, his fake smile returned. I hated that smile. It meant that he was hiding his true feelings and I couldn't see them. It bothered me to no end that I could no longer read him as well as I did before I left the village. However, I planned on changing that soon.

And that's why I decided to go out and eat with him. He went through our normal topics, but I held no desire to listen to those. So, I took the chance when I saw it and asked him what has been on my mind for a long time. It was not the reaction I had expected, but it worked. He had admitted that something was up without saying anything. Progress! Then he changed the subject, saying that he could've died. "No one would care." I had said cruelly then immediately regretted it. His fake smile flickered and there was an unusual emotion in his normally bright blue eyes. I usually don't lie, but that sentence had slipped out before I could stop it.

And then he was back to his fake smile. God, it reminded me of Sai! Obviously fake but the only one he would give. By the time our conversation was over, I only knew one thing: that I would do whatever it took to bring back his beautiful original smile. I watched his retreating back as he caught up to the Hokage for a second before looking in front of me to the jounin* that had taken Naruto's spot. "You're paying." I simply said before standing up and walking out of Ichiraku's. Kakashi was beside me in a flash. "Well? What'd you find out?" He asked curiously. I sighed.

"Something is up. I don't know what yet, but I'll find out. Did you know he listened to metal?" I asked, looking at him from the corner of my eye. He looked at me confused before shrugging.

"Really? I never would've thought… But that doesn't mean anything."

"No. I guess not." I grumbled. A short silence. "How long has he been acting like this?" I asked. The older man thought for a moment.

"I'm not entirely sure. A few months before he brought you back? Maybe?" He shrugged again.

I pondered over that. 'What was it that had changed you, Naruto?' I asked myself. "Sakura was the first to notice. She pointed out how he looked different. But when he started acting weirder, she refused to acknowledge it. She acted as if she didn't notice." He said before pausing, debating on whether to tell me something or not. "She loves him. More than she loves you." That shocked me. She certainly didn't act like it. Well, then again, neither did I. Kakashi chuckled. "Looks like you have a rival, Sasuke." He joked. It didn't surprise me that he knew. After all, that man seemed to know just about everything about Team 7. A simple 'shut up' was my only reply.

I had left the jounin in the dust to go home when I stopped. The familiar voice of the Kyuubi vessel reached my ears. "No. I won't do it." He said. I crept closer, trying to see who it was he was talking to. I didn't hear anyone answer, but he did. "No. I'm fine as it is. I don't need you making it worse….Help me? My ass!" He spoke angrily. Once he was in view I scanned the area. No one was nearby. I didn't realize I was holding my breath until he spoke again. "I know you're there Sasuke." He said low enough so I could barely hear.

I carefully stepped down from the branch I had been on to land on the balls of my feet softly. He didn't even turn around. "Naruto." I whispered. His entire body tensed. I stepped closer to the blonde.

"Why do you sound worried?" He asked. I paused. Did I really sound worried? True, I was worried about it, but I don't think I sounded concerned. I decided to answer truthfully.

"Because you've been acting differently ever since I came back." He turned around to face me angrily.

"Ever since you _came _back? No! More like, ever since I _dragged you back bloody and broken_!" He hissed in my face, red swirling around in his eyes, whiskers slightly more animalistic. I took a step back.

"Same thing!" I growled right back.

"Same thing? It's not the same thing!"

"Same results! Both of them end with me being back in the village!" I said through clenched teeth.

"Che! Whatever teme!" He growled before turning around once more to face the trees.

"Anyways, you've been acting weird ever since _you brought me back._" I said angrily.

"People change teme. And things tend to be a little more obvious when you haven't seen them for two and a half years." He hissed at me. I winced. So he was still angry about that.

"What happened to you? What changed you?" I asked softly.'

"You did." "Me? How did I come into it?"

"You've been in it, Sasuke. Ever since the beginning." He answered, just as softly. He finally turned around again to look me in the eyes. There was that expression! It sent chills down my spine. His eyes… they looked…..empty. Like he was just an empty shell. I'm not going to lie. It scared me.

"Naruto." I whispered with concern clearly in my voice. I took another few steps closer to him. I wanted to wrap my arms around him and make that painful expression disappear. But an Uchiha wouldn't do that. So I just settled on standing there like a fool waiting for him to do something.

_**A/N: **_

_***I'm not sure if I spelled it right or not. Sorry if it's incorrect.**_

_**Sorry it's just now getting put up. I had to help with my church's VBS and I had a lot of fun doing so. Playing with those kids made my entire week! And of course, I got to hang with my friends! Thanks for all of the favorites/follows. I appreciate that! I made this one longer! Not as long as the last chapter, no, but this one is only ONE chapter! Not two! Yay! Anyways, this one kicked my butt. There was just so much stuff that didn't sound right and I did my best to make it work and add a LOT to make it as long as it is. I hope you all enjoyed it! I'll add the next one up soon. I hope ^^;**_

_**AFM**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Summary: 'Empty. That's what I feel most of the time. Like there's no emotion inside of me. Some people call it depressed. I call it normal.' SasuNaru. Naruto becomes depressed with Kyuubi whispering false things in his mind. He thinks he's fooled everyone, but there's a certain someone who won't stop until he's found out what has happened to the blonde. **_

_**A/N: Hey guys! Thanks so much for all the reviews that you've given me! I love them, they make my day. Anyways, here's the next part of Empty in Naruto's point of view! Enjoy. I don't own Naruto.**_

I watched his reaction as my words sank in. Concern was the main emotion I got from him. But there was something underneath that. Something I couldn't quite grasp. He spoke my name so softly, it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Then he took a few closer to me, so I took an equal amount back. Another silence passed between us as we stared at each other, emotionless eyes battling ones filled with feelings. Then Sasuke finally spoke up. "That expression doesn't suit you, Naruto." My brows furrowed in confusion as I tried to figure out what had brought that statement forth. "Today, when you really _smiled_, you're eyes lit up. You just looked so….beautiful. But when you look like that," he paused slightly to motion towards me, "it breaks my heart." He whispered. My mind was still stuck on one specific word, however. Beautiful. _Sasuke Uchiha _called _me_ beautiful. He stepped closer once more.

"**Lies, kit! Don't listen to him. He's blowing sunshine up your ass." **Kyuubi hissed in my mind. That snapped me back to focus. Taking an unconscious step backwards, Sasuke continued to progress on me. I bit my bottom lip as I thought. **"Remember kit. He's the one that said that no one would care if you'd die."** The demon growled. Kyuubi had a point. Sasuke did say that. So I did the only thing I could think of.

I ran.

I ran as fast as I could and as far as I could while still staying within the gates. I ran past Ichiraku's, up to the Hokage's Monument. Stopping on top of the Fourth's head, I caught my breath. Plopping down to watch the sunset while I tried to get my thoughts straight. Kyuubi was still talking to me, however, making it impossible to do so. So after a few minutes of sitting and staring into the village, I finally stood up. I started my slow walk back to my house.

Once I was back in my little apartment that I called home, I turned on my music and let it go as high as it was allowed. I pushed Sasuke's words, Kyuubi's voice, and my own thoughts out of my head as the metal pounded my brain. Finally! Some quiet in my own mind. Quickly making sure that all the windows and the door were locked before shutting all the curtains, I then went into the bathroom. Sasuke had been right. Absolutely no one would care if I just died. Hell! I'm sure the entire village wanted me to die! To get rid of the Kyuubi vessel. To get rid of the brat who always messed things up. To rid of the one that they still resented even after saving their pathetic village more than once.

My hands clenched into fists as I thought of that. I hated them. I hated them all. They acted like they treasured me after the incident with Pain, but truly they still despised me. I saw the looks many of them still gave me when they thought I wasn't paying attention. And, let's be honest, that happened often. Sakura had said that she loved me. She told me that she had gotten over Sasuke. But then he comes back and it's back to the older days, when we were just starting out as Team 7. All the attention on Sasuke while I got pushed out of the way.

In a burst of anger, I lashed out at the closest thing to me. The sink. The object which had happened to be helping me stay standing at the moment. It broke with little resistance and I went with it along with whatever else was on it. I heard a clank somewhere to my left and I looked over towards it. A single kunai lay there. Tempting me. Gently, ever so gently, I picked it up and ran my finger along the edge of it. I repeated the simple act many times while just staring at it. Only a moment more of debating, and then my mind was made up. No one would care anyways. Gingerly lifting the metal object to my wrist I made a faint line. I pushed down until a steady stream of crimson water flowed down onto the floor and myself. Using all of my willpower to grab the kunai with my steadily growing numb fingers, I lifted it to my other wrist. I applied the same pressure as I did to the other and a sad smile graced my lips. I could faintly hear the weapon hit the tiled floor as black dots filled my vision. A steady ringing started in my ears as I closed my eyes and let my head fall back, hitting the tub behind me. The last thing I would ever remember would be the feeling of my music pounding through my body, lulling me to sleep.

_**A/N: Dun dun dun! What's going to happen to Naruto? It all depends on your reviews! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. It was fun writing, I'm not gonna lie. I liked writing this last scene the most. Maybe I'm just twisted. Who knows. Anyways, sorry it took so long (again) to upload but I'm getting the house to myself more often so maybe I'll post more chapters more often! But don't get you're hopes up. BeautifulLotus, I AM working on that story I promised you. I'm just having so much trouble figuring out how I want it to start and end and all that stuff. It will be up though! Hopefully soon! Anyways, please review! I love reviews! Enjoy your day guys!**_

_**-AFM**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Summary: 'Empty. That's what I feel most of the time. Like there's no emotion inside of me. Some people call it depressed. I call it normal.' SasuNaru. Naruto becomes depressed with Kyuubi whispering false things in his mind. He thinks he's fooled everyone, but there's a certain someone who won't stop until he's found out what has happened to the blonde.**_

_**A/N: Sorry this is sooooo late guys! I got grounded for, like, a month! And then school started and it's been hectic. Also just my laziness to type this chapter up XP. Anyways, here's chapter 5 of Empty! This is in Sasuke's view and I hope you enjoy reading!**_

I pounded on the apartment door in front of me, cursing silently. I knew he was here! His music was blaring for Christ's sake! After a second of impatiently waiting, I tried opening the door. Locked. Firgures. Without a second thought, I broke the door down and charged in. I checked in the living room, kitchen, and bedroom. Only the bathroom left. I put my hand on the door handle and prayed to whatever God was up there that he wasn't doing anything embarrassing in there. I could only imagine his reaction if I walked in on him bathing.

Flinging the door open, I falter in my steps. He was leaning against the tub, seemingly alseep. But blood was everywhere. On the floor, on his skin, and on his clothes. I stood there while I attempted to make sense of the scene before me. He had killed himself. My heart seemed to shatter at the sight. Had he done this because of what I said? I hoped not. If I looked close enough, I could see his chest rising and falling slightly. My heart fluttered. He might still have a chance! I ran over to him and instantly grabbed his wrist to find his pulse. Once I did, I studied the gashes that weren't healing. Blood was trickling down from them still, leaving ugly trails that reminded me of his pain.

I picked him up and carried him to the hospital, jumping from roof to roof since it was the quickest way to get there. Shizune looked up from the file in her hands to see who had came in, a mixture of boredom and anger on her face. Papers flew everywhere when she saw the blonde in my arms. A hand flew to her mouth as her eyes bulged slightly with tears forming in her eyes. Then she regained her composure and led me to the nearest empty room as she yelled at the nurses. She called for help and told one of the trainees to go fetch Tsunade. I simply stood by in the corner as they crowded around the Kyuubi vessel. I couldn't help but feel guilty about this. _'No one would care.'_ That phrase plagued my thoughts. And the look on his lovely face once those words left my mouth broke my heart all over again.

Heavy footsteps could be heard coming this way from the hall. Obviously the Hokage, probably angry about being dragged away from her sake or her nap. The door burst open and I was right on the money. Her hair was a mess from just waking up and she held a cup of...something in her left hand while her right held the door open. "What is it now?!" She shouted angrily. Shizune looke dup at her with sad eyes. Once the busty woman saw who the patient was and how critical, she froze. One look at his wrist was enough to bring tears to her eyes. But she ignored them and moved to Naruto's side, downing the drink in one go. More medical talk that I didn't even bother trying to understand followed.

I stayed ther in the corner until only Tsunade and Shizune were left in the room. "May I ask a favor?" I asked, hesitantly. The Hokage looked at me with melancholy eyes and nodded numbly. "Don't tell Sakura. Please. Don't let her know about this." I almost begged. The two shared a look before Shizune nodded.

"We'll do out best to keep it from her." The assistant answered.

"But know this, Uchiha. If she finds out, the blame goes entirely to you." Tsunade spoke without looking at me.

"Fair enough." They started to leave. Then Tsunade stopped in the doorway.

"And Sasuke?" She asked. I looked at her, shocked. She had never used my first name before. She turned to look me in the eyes. "Thank you. For saving him." She said before leaving and shutting the door behind her. Once they were gone, I moved to the bedside and sat down. I stayed there until the next morning and I wasn't planning on moving until he woke up.

Shizune came in and asked some questions, wondering why Naruto would do such a thing. I gave her the best answers that I could. She looked at the blonde male and frowned. "We found blood on his boxers. It was too old to be from his wrist. Did he injure himself yesterday?" She asked. I shook my head, saying I didn't know. Her frown deepened. "I need you to leave the room for just a minute." She said, walking out of the door. I followed her and slid past a male as he went into the room. Closing the door behind him, I looked at the Hokage's assistant. "He's going to check him out." She explained.

That minute felt like an enternity as I waited outside Naruto's door. Then, finally, the man came out and led Shizune away. I slid back in and looked at the whiskered male. Some of his color was back and his wounds were healing fast. Kyuubi. Sometimes he _was _helpful. But my question was; why didn't Kyuuby heal him as soon as he started bleeding? That was another puzzle Naruto was going to answer.

_**A/N: Yay! Sasuke saved him! I bet all of you probably knew that was going to happen. I'm debating on whether or not Naruto should die. I don't know. I'm really torn in between the choices. If you guys would like to help me out, I'd love that.**_

_**Again, sorry this took forever! I really have been meaning to post it, but I've just been lazy.**_

_**Also, sorry about the spelling mistakes! I had to do this on WordPad and that thing sucks with spelling and all.**_

_**Thanks for all of the reviews and favorites/follows! I really appreciate it! I love reviews, they keep me going!**_

_**Lotus; The first chapter is almost done XD Sorry it's taking so long. There's just so much I want to do and don't know how to have it go! I'm working on it at school a lot, so it might be up this month or the next.**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Summary: 'Empty. That's what I feel most of the time. Like there's no emotion inside of me. Some people call it depressed. I call it normal.' SasuNaru. Naruto becomes depressed with Kyuubi whispering false things in his mind. He thinks he's fooled everyone, but there's a certain someone who won't stop until he's found out what has happened to the blonde**_

_**A/N: Sorry this is so short and that this took forever! But this one, I'm telling you, it really kicked my butt this time. There was just so much I wanted to explain but had no idea how to do so. Anyways, I hope you enjoy! Also, this is still in Sasuke's POV**_

I stayed by Naruto's side for a day and a half. I had finally given in to sleep, for I was laying my head on the bed in a rather uncomfortable position. I woke up to the sounds of someone groaning. Looking at the clock, I growled in annoyance. That idiot would wake me up at two in the morning!

Wait. He woke me up... He was AWAKE! I nearly jumped out of my seat once the fact that he was stirring registered in my mind. Composing myself, I silently hit the button that would call the unnaturally busty Hokage. "Sasuke." I heard in say in a raspy, hoarse voice. Looking over to him, I saw him staring at me. His eyes were slightly glazed over still from sleep, and he was stifling a yawn. I just simply nodded. "Was it you? That saved me?" He asked with that same emotionless stare. Another nod from me. Then suddenly a fist flew at me from seemingly out of nowhere. It was weaker than normal, but it still sent me sprawling to the floor.

"Damnit Naruto! Sakura _just_ healed my last black eye!" I growled at the idiot. He just simply shrugged, uncaring.

An awkward silence passed between us -we seemed to be having a lot of those lately- as we stared at each other, trying to read the other's thoughts. Then he spoke up again. "Why are you here?"

"Because! Why wouldn't I?!" I almost shouted. Another shrug from him made my left eye twitch in anger. Suddenly, Tsunade was slamming the door open, possibly making a hole in the wall behind the object. She had a mixture of emotions on her face, the exact opposite of Naruto. Sadness, anger, hurt, happiness, and confusion. Shizune followed in a moment later with only worry in her eyes.

"Naruto! What are these marks?!" The Hokage demanded, yanking the blanket down and his gown up just enough to show the blonde's thighs. My eyes grew wider. What I saw wasn't what I had expected. Then again, I didn't really expect to look at his thighs. Basically, multiple circles around each of his thighs that were now a faint pink line.

"Cuts. Obviously." I was taken back. He sounded as if nothing was wrong. Like we didn't just found out he was a cutter. Like he didn't almost die only a day ago.

"Why aren't they healed?" Shizune asked professionally. Naruto glared at all of us as he answered.

"Kyuubi finds it disgracing to do any sort of self-harm. So he said he wouldn't heal me if I ever did such a thing. And I did. So they're now healing at normal speed." He said. Then I decided to speak up.

"Naruto. What happened to make you change so drastically?" I asked, my voice soft, hopefully comforting.

"I was out looking for you one day. I'm pretty sure you remember this. When I had finally found you, you nearly killed me. A chidori right by the heart might do that, I hear. Kyuubi healed me quickly after you left and, boy, did I get an earful that month while I was 'recovering'. Anyways, he finally knocked some sense into me. He said to just give up on you.

"After a few weeks of him pestering me, I finally gave in. I stopped looking for you. And one day, I just stopped feeling. Our last battle had just been coincident." He explained.

"But Naruto! You left the village every week to look for him!" Tsunade cried. His eyes snapped to her.

"No. I got out of the village to get out of the village." He said before turning his attention back to me once. "Every single thing Kyuubi has told me about everyone is true. Especially you, Sasuke." His eyes narrowed dangerously. He knew what question I was going to ask next.

I asked the one question he had managed to escape last time. "Why did you act?" That confused both Tsunade and her assistant.

"It's easier to act like nothing is wrong than to try to explain something you yourself don't understand. Isn't that right, Sasuke?" He spoke, gaze never wavering throughtout the entire conversation. "Now my turn. Why'd you stay here?" He asked. I swallowed my pride and said the words I thought I would never say out loud to him.

"Because...I love you."

_**A/N: Well, that was short. Sorry guys. But I thought this was a great way to end the chapter. I'll try to make the next one longer, ok? Anyways, yay! I've finally got all the chapters I've been meaning to get up, well, up! Again, sorry this took so long to update. But I'm kinda getting a life! Yay for me! This chapter...ARGH! I'm so frustrated with it right now, I'm just going to leave it how it is. If you guys still don't understand something, leave a review and I'll attempt to clear it up better. I really need a beta, I've realized. Anyone volunteering?**_

_**I'm currently kind of doing request, but if I get a LOT, then I'll only do one or two that I think sounds interesting. If you want a requested story, message me and I'll start working on it right away. Hopefully XD**_

_**Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed. Have a good day! Now I'm going to go take a nap or something...**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**Chapter 7**_

_**A/N: Woot! Finally getting this up! Here's chapter 7 of Empty in Sasuke's view...still. I didn't expect to get this many favorites/follows so thanks guys!**_

"Because I love you."

Those four words seemed to make time stop. Naruto's gaze held shock, confusion, then finally anger. Tsunade had a knowing smirk on her face and Shizune looked like she was ready to faint. Naruto's lips moved but no words came out. His brows furrowed and his eyes turned to slits. Then I noticed he was talking. Still no words, but his lips moved to form sentences. He would stop for a moment and then continue once more.

He was talking to Kyuubi. Not us. "Get out." He spoke, barely audible. I didn't know if he was talking to the biju or us. When his eyes snapped to mine, I shuddered slightly. Raw anger and hatred were held in those eyes. "I said get out!" He growled, pointing to the door.

"Don't be stupid. Nar-" I started before the Hokage grabbed me.

"Uchiha. I think it might be best if you left." She said in a formal tone. I was about to argue when her grip on me tightened. "Go. Tell Kakashi he's up." I debated for a second before nodding and walking out of the hospital room. I walked down the hall then stopped. He didn't believe me. I could tell by the look in his eyes that he didn't. Kyuubi. Naruto had been talking to him before his anger really set in. For some reason, the biju was turning the blonde against me. Slowly, a plan was forming in my head.

I would have to convince him that I loved him. But first, I had to be close enough to talk him. By the way Tsunade sounded, I would be forced to stay away until he calmed down. The problem with that was that the idiot would probably stay angry for a while. Instead of going to Kakashi like I was supposed to, I turned to go to the cemetery. If he wasn't there, I didn't know where else he would be.

Upon arriving, I saw him sitting down by his mentor's grave smoking a cigarette. "Troublesome, isn't he, Sasuke?" He asked without even looking towards me. I took a seat beside him.

"You've got that right, Shikamaru." I said softly.

"Came to ask me for help?" He asked with a smirk. I grunted in reply. "Don't worry. I'll handle it. I'll talk to Tsunade-sama and work something out." He said with a chuckle. I glanced at him. "It is really annoying though. He can't seem to get it through that thick head of his that we all care for him." He said, leaning against Asuma's grave.

We stayed like that for a while before I stood back up. "Goodbye." Shikamaru said as I left. I gave a little wave to him. My mind was preoccupied. How the hell was I going to convince him? I only saw one option: act normal until a better plan came up. Yup, sounded good. Plus, I had the young genius on my side. No doubt he would come up with his own ideas.

-SasuNaru-

Naruto was still in the hospital but should be released tomorrow. It had been three days since he had woken up, and Tsunade was at loss as to what to do with him. So here I was, sitting on my bed, waiting for Shikamaru to get back. I finally decided to occupy my mind by reading. I was only a few chapters in when the young genious showed up. "Tsunade-sama wishes to see you." He said with a smirk. That smirk meant that things went his way and I got to see Naruto. But first, the Hokage.

"You wanted to see me, Hokage-sama?" I asked politely once we arrived. She looked up from the stacks of papers in front of her.

"Ah. Yes. As you already know, Shikamaru and I have been talking about what to do with Naruto. Ultimately the decision will be his, but we needed to make sure you were comfortable with one of the options. Would you mind having Naruto live you for a month or two?" I looked at her confused.

"I don't mind. But why does he need to live with me?" I asked curiously.

"Because of the stunt he pulled, the Elders want him on suicide watch. I agree with them. We can't him pulling anything else like that."

"But why me?"

"Sasuke... You're his best friend. And it's obvious that you like him. You have a lot of money, enough to feed yourself and a town. Or, in this case, Naruto. You have a large house so he probably won't be in the way. And Shikamaru thinks you could use the company." She explained. I glanced over to the boy to see him looking out the window. I turned back to the busty woman and nodded in understanding. "Good. Bird! Bring Naruto here please." She addressed to the ANBU who had appeared at the sound of his name. He bowed then disappeared in a puff of smoke.

I had taken to sitting in a chair while waiting on Naruto's arrival. Shikamaru and Tsunade were bent over a map, trying to come up with a good plan concerning some intelligent bandits. I paid them no mind. Finally, the door opened and in stepped the blonde. He smiled at Tsunade with that annoyingly fake grin then looked at Shikamaru. He said hey then turned to see me. His smile faltered a little, but he quickly turned away from me. I massaged my temple as I felt an oncoming headache. Tsunade cleared her throat uncomfortably. "Naruto. The Elders and I have decided to put you on suicide watch. Given you're... specialty, we're giving you a choice in this matter. You live with Sasuke-"

"Hell no." Naruto interrupted. The woman just continued, ignoring his outburst.

"Or go into solitary confinement." She finished. Naruto's body tensed and the words that escaped his lips were not his own.

"Don't you _dare _put me inside another cage!" The boy hissed, laced with the Kyuubi's own vocals. I looked up, bewildered. Shikamaru just smiled.

"Looks like you're staying with Sasuke then." The genius said smugly. The blonde's eyes slid to me, eyes into slits. I made a mental note to go get ramen on the way home for him.

-SasuNaru-

With a tiny argument Naruto caved in. Tsunade then placed a special necklace around him. It looked like a black choker, but you could see writing if you looked close enough. He looked like an angry kitten.

"Bird. Please escort Naruto back into the exam room. Hinata's going to check up on him." Shizune spoke to the silent ANBU in the corner. With a firm grasp, he led Naruto out of the room. "Now, Sasuke. We'll show you how to work the collar. We specified it so only your chakra can deactivate it. You won't need any hand seals or anything like that. Just place your hand on it and flow your chakra into it. You'll hear a click when it's off.

"We suggest that you don't do this unless an absolute emergency. We don't expect Naruto to be in the same room as you all the time, so he'll be allowed to be in at least a few yards away from you. But you must check up on him every hour that he's in the other room. Understand?" Shizune explained firmly.

"I understand. But there's one thing I don't understand. How do I reactivate it if I have to deactivate the thing?" I asked, looking from the Hokage to her assistant. "What if he runs while it's off?" It was Tsunade who spoke this time.

"Flare your chakra if you need to reactivate it. And if he runs, the collar is designed to input an urge for him to find you. And you'll get a sort of compass that'll lead you to him. You'll naturally know which direction he is in. Is that all, Uchiha?" I merely nodded in reply. "You may return home. I'll make sure he gets there safely." She promised. I nodded once more and turned to make my leave. I left without another word.

I had a feeling that the next month or so were going to give me plenty of headaches...

_**A/N: Yay! Finally done! Sorry this took so long. I've had to manage my time more so than usual. I've had to juggle my new boyfriend, family drama, new work schedule and all that.**_

_**Anyways, I hoped you all enjoyed this chapter. I made it as long as I could this time, I swear. I'm so tired now T.T I'm going to go to bed now.**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**'Empty. That's what I feel most of the time. Like there's no emotion inside of me. Some people call it depressed. I call it normal.' SasuNaru. Naruto becomes depressed with Kyuubi whispering false things in his mind. He thinks he's fooled everyone, but there's a certain someone who won't stop until he's found out what has happened to the blonde.**_

_**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry it took so long for me to start writing this chapter, but I kinda lost my pages and was searching for them for a while. Then I have so much stuff this month that I'm going insane. Don't expect too much, cause I'm really busy with state coming up and state tests... Why do we test so much in school? Also, thank you for the reviews you guys leave me! I appreciate it, especially those of you who review on every chapter! Anyways, I hope you all this lovely work of art I managed to create!**_

The first day he was here, he didn't talk to me. He stayed as far away from me as the collar allowed. He grumbled about things when he though I couldn't hear and regularly spoke to the demon inside of him. I heard my now every so often and would make an attempt to hear his side of the conversation. But they would cease whatever they were saying shortly after. It annoyed me. I wanted to know what the one who held my heart thought of me. I never found out from those conversations.

The second day was even worse. He had decided to start faking around me once more. He acted chipper and loud and all around annoying like he usually was. "Ne Sasuke! You need some ramen! Let's go get some!" He suggested. I scowled at the thought of said noodles. It had no nutrients in it as well as tasted horrible. Why one would want to eat so much so often was a wonder to me. "No." I grunted. That shut him up for a moment as he thought.

"I'm living here now! Meaning I have to eat here! How am I supposed to eat if you don't have any good food?" He questioned me. I sighed.

"I have plenty of good food. It's just that all you ever eat is ramen."

"I'll only eat three a day."

"You'll eat all of it."

"I'll eat whatever you make -healthy or not- and eat only three."

"Anything I make?"

"As long as I'm not allergic to it.

"Well.. What are you allergic to?" I questioned. He beamed at me.

"Obviously not ramen." He joked. I narrowed my eyes at him as I shook my head. I moved to grab my keys, making my way to the door. He looked at me confused. "Are you coming or not?" I hissed. He jumped up and ran after me.

-SasuNaru- Naruto's point of view-

It was hard to keep my act up around him at the moment. I was too angry with everybody to even pretend, so I conversed with Kyuubi the entire day. He spoke his high disapproval of the Hokage's decision and expressed his hatred towards Sasuke often. "Why do you hate him?" I wondered aloud once.

**"He is an Uchiha, kit. His kind are filthy scum who care only about themselves."** He growled.

"Ne, Kyuubi?" I ventured cautiously.

**"Hm?"**

"Do you think he meant what he said? At the hospital?" I spoke quietly, not wanting the other ninja to hear me.

**"I don't know. What'd he say?"**

"That... That he loved me..." The biju's laughter resounded in my head. "I'm gonna take that as a no then."

**"Why do you sound so disappointed, kit?"** He asked. I was disappointed? I hadn't noticed until he brought it up.

"I don't know.. I guess I was kinda hoping it was true.." I said, barely audible even to myself.

**"Listen kid. He probably just told you that so he could get what he wants. He's done that with many people. Look at Sakura. She'd so anything for that stuck up brat.**"

"You're right. Sorry for asking."

**"You're fine. Even you are entitled to your hopes. Just don't listen to him, though. Ever."** He warned.

"I might." I joked. I knew that what he said was most likely true. Sasuke had probably just said that only to butter me up to ask for something. But a small part of my wondered if that was true. What if he did really love me? What if Kyuubi was wrong?

I spent the rest that day wandering around the house, thinking. The next day, however, I was back to my act. I pestered my love with the possibility of venturing outside. I even used ramen as an excuse. At first, I was afraid that he'd just brush me off. But then he grabbed his keys and we left. I spoke whatever came to my mind as we walked, unknowingly letting a few things slip through my mouth. One of those was my doubt that he loved me. He immediately stiffened, stopped, then turned to face me. "Why would you think that I didn't love you?" He asked, face emotionless. I pretended like I didn't hear him, but instead kept talking. The Uchiha roughly grabbed my shoulder then spun me around to face him. I stopped mid-sentence and stared at him with wide eyes. "Shut up for four seconds will you?" He growled. I closed my mouth, unaware that it had been open in the first place. He debated on what to do before pulling me towards him. I thought he was going to hit me for some reason, so I danced out of his reach. He looked at me confused while I watched him curiously. "Forget it." He mumbled and continued walking. I stayed behind him this time, carefully speaking my mind. I wasn't going to let anything else slip today. I had to pay extra attention. But a small part of my mind continuously wondered what it was he was going to do.

We stopped by the store to pick up a TON of ramen while I acted all excited. On the inside, however, I felt like I was going to throw up at the sight of so much gunk. I swallowed the feeling down and waited patiently while he payed for everything. I almost felt sorry for causing a dent in his wallet, but then the thought faded away as quickly as it came.

Sasuke forced me to carry all ten bags of ramen as we walked home. We were just passing one of the stores when something caught my eye. I stopped to stare at it until the other man called me back to my senses.* I ran to catch up to him, careful not to drop any bags. He looked at me curiously. "What were you looking at?" He asked. I just shook my head. "Nothing." I responded.

We got back to the place I would now be calling home. I set all ten bags on the kitchen table then left the room. "Where do you think you're going?! You're going to put all of these where they go!" He yelled after me.

"I gotta go! I'll do it after, believe it!" I called back to him. I could hear him sigh as I closed the bathroom door. Swiftly I pulled my pants down slightly so that I would be able to get to my new collection. I pulled the kunia out from my little bad, cautious to make no noise. Then I positioned my leg to where the blood would drip into the toilet. I bit my lip as the blade cut into my leg, withholding a sigh of relief. I forced it to go deeper, until my leg started to feel tingly. I then pulled the kunia away, grabbing some toilet paper. I quickly cleaned the weapon off, as well as my leg before throwing it into the toilet. I put my blade away in exchange for the bandages that I've started carrying around with me. I expertly wrapped my leg up before pulling my pants back up and flushing the toilet, getting rid of the evidence. I smiled to myself, an actual smile, as I hid the bandages back into my pouch. I wiped the smile off of my face then took a step forward.

I had to lean on the sink for a moment for support when my leg wouldn't hold my weight. "Shit." I whispered. I had cut too deep and now I wasn't going to be able to walk back out of here normally. Sasuke banged on the door. "Naruto. What the hell are you doing in there?" He hissed at me through the door. "Shit." I said once more. This wasn't going to end well.

_**A/N: And there you have it! I wasn't expecting it to be this long. I was planning on making it a short little chapter but I got carried away in my typing lol. I hope you all enjoyed it!**_

_***- I need opinions on what you think this item should be. I haven't thought that far ahead yet and I need ideas before the next chapter is put up. I could really use your help!**_


	9. Chapter 9

_**'Empty. That's what I feel most of the time. Like there's no emotion inside of me. Some people call it depressed. I call it normal.' SasuNaru. Naruto becomes depressed with Kyuubi whispering false things in his mind. He thinks he's fooled everyone, but there's a certain someone who won't stop until he's found out what has happened to the blonde.**_

_**A/N: Sorry this is out so late! But I think you guys will be proud to know that I wrote this entire chapter in one hour during school while we were doing nothing! I added a few things to make it longer, but all in all, this is the result of some great inspiration and a full hour of boredom! Thanks for all your reviews, follows, and favorites. I appreciate it guys! Any who! Here's chapter nine of Empty, in Naruto's view. I also don't own Naruto (I've been forgetting to put my disclaimer in the chapters XP)**_

Sasuke banged on the door once more after hearing my voice. "It's fine. I just ran into the sink with my leg. I'm going to have a bruise in the morning." I lied. His pounding halted as he thought of buying my lame excuse. Acting like I thought he left, I turned on the faucet and cleaned my hands of any blood, relying heavily on the counter for support. The door suddenly flew open to reveal an outraged Sasuke. He looked down at the sink which had water that had dyed red from my hands. His eyes snapped back to mine and he pointed to my pants.

"Drop them. Now." He ordered. My face flushed a bright red as the blood ran to my head.

"You can't just tell me that! Pervert!"

"Drop. Them. Now." He repeated, slower this time. I growled before grabbing my pants. He raised one of his eyebrows at me.

"At least be a gentleman and turn around for a moment. This is embarrassing enough as it is." I said, face as red as a tomato. He rolled his onyx-colored eyes before turning around as asked. I swiftly dropped my article of clothing and looked down at the bandages to see how bad it was. The entire thing was red already. I needed to change it soon. I cleared my throat to signal that he could turn around. He took one look at it then stopped.

"Naruto..." He started. I immediately straightened up at the sound of his voice. Then he looked at me with such emotion that I knew, deep down, that he meant what he said at the hospital. "Why do you do this to yourself?" He asked, honestly curious. I just simply shrugged. I did it because it was a way of punishing myself for all that I had done wrong. I did it because it made all thoughts of my childhood disappear, if only for a few moments. I did it to satisfy my anger towards all those who have done me wrong.

But I didn't know how to explain all of this to Sasuke. So I settled with a shrug of my shoulders.

With an irritated growl, he leaned towards me. Then he placed his lips on top of mine and my legs felt like they wouldn't be able to hold me up anymore. My knees wobbled unsteadily until I backed up into the bathtub. It hit the back of my knees and I collapsed onto the edge. He looked at me confused, hurt, and another emotion I've only seen once before but couldn't quite place. "I'm sorry." He whispered before he left.

-NaruSasu-

It took five minutes for my heart to slow down to its regular beat once he left. I still couldn't stand. I was blaming it on the cut, not the weak knees he had caused with his _amazing_ kiss. Another knock sounded on the door. I mentally groaned. What did he want now? "Look. You can't stay in there all day. I have to shower, so get out." He said through the door. I looked down at my numb leg, noticing that I had to change the dressing once again.

"Fine. Give me a second. And if you wait by the door, Kami help me, I will take even longer." I threatened. I could faintly hear a chuckle then footsteps going back into his room. I removed the gauze before analyzing my wound. It was deep, a few inches deeper than I usually did. Blood continued to flow from it. A bad sign I suppose. I re-wrapped my leg before attempting to stand once more. I almost fell, but I caught onto the sink before I could do so. I hissed in pain as I tried to apply pressure onto the wounded leg, feeling more blood seep through. I gathered my self-control then walked out of the bathroom with my face composed and no limp in my walk. I was a little proud of myself. I hit Sasuke's door when I passed it, telling him I was done in there.

Once back in the room I was staying in, I summoned one of the many smaller frogs. I swiftly wrote a not then handed it to the female. "Go take this to Sakura please." I told her. She left with a small 'yes, sir'. I collapsed onto the bed which held orange blankets just for me. The Uchiha had gotten them for me after about the sixth time I ended up falling asleep here. He had a few of my clothes tucked neatly away in the dresser, articles I had left over. In the corner was a small bookshelf filled with Jiraya's book and some manga that I read frequently. Except for the porn books my godfather wrote. I only read those every once in a while. On the bed was a fairly new orange book with a red swirl on it. On the side was a few symbols, disabling anyone else access to the journal unless they were able to mimic my chakra. I knew it was safe here. Even if Sasuke could copy my chakra, he wouldn't even think of breaking into my personal book. He just wasn't that kind of guy. I kept it here for multiple reasons. The first one was that my apartment _still _got broken into and the thieves stole a lot of my shit, even if it was something as silly as a journal. The second was that no one would suspect something personal of mine to be at the Uchiha complex. The third was that I knew Sasuke would protect it with his life if need be. He wouldn't let anyone touch it if he could help it.

I laid my hand on the side with the symbols and pushed my chakra into it. It opened with a 'pop' and I scanned the contents of it. On the very first page it read _**'Hope you like it. I noticed you've been a little down lately and figured you'd like writing it out instead of talking to someone. I use my own diary and it really helps me. I hope it helps. Love, Sakura.'**_ There was currently only one entry in it with three words. _**'I am alone.'**_ I wrote that when I had first gotten it, hoping it would encourage me to write more then ultimately feel better. That had been months ago, almost a year. Still, I had nothing more to add. But I still wished it to be protected, for sentiment purposes.

Sasuke knocked on the door. I jumped. I didn't even hear him approaching. "What do you want for dinner?" He asked. I stayed silent. After a moment, he knocked again before opening the door. "Naruto Uzumaki! I asked what you wanted for dinner!" He hissed out at me. I stared at him, dumbfounded. I had no idea. I didn't usually eat dinner. Or breakfast. Or lunch. He understood. I could see the moment that he finally pieced it together. "Dear God. Do you starve yourself too?" He asked, barely over a whisper.

"No." I answered honestly. I didn't starve myself because the thought of food made my stomach clench. My body rejected food. I was never hungry, just acted like I was to appear hungry.

"Then how much do you eat?" He narrowed his eyes at me.

"I don't know." I lied.

"Don't lie to me. I know you too well."

"If you know me so well, shouldn't you know how much I eat?" I countered.

"I wanna know if my conclusion is the correct one."

"Why do you want to know?" I asked.

"Dammit! Because I love you! How many times do I have to tell you before you finally believe me?!" He started to yell. I leaned back onto my bed, daring him to come closer. He accepted my challenge and stalked forward slowly. It was like he was afraid of scaring me away. He crawled onto the bed until his face hovered over mine. I tilted my head up slightly. He smirked before leaning closer and placing his wonderfully soft lips onto my own. I could feel his arms shaking for a reason that was beyond my comprehension. He pulled back enough to look into my eyes.

"Great. Now get off me and go make your food." I said with no emotion on my face, purposely ruining the moment. He froze. He opened his mouth to say something but then closed it once more. He pushed himself off of me then walked away, slamming the door shut behind him. I sat up, accessing what just happened.

**"Kit. You're just gonna get hurt again. Haven't you learned your lesson yet?" **Kyuubi asked.

_'But it was good. I think.. I think he'd take care of me. He wouldn't hurt me on purpose.'_ I thought. Just then Sakura burst into the room and looked at me worriedly. She held the note in her hand. "Good. I need your medical skills. A kunai dug too deep into my leg and it's currently numb." I explained, smiling at her. She motioned for me to expose the wound. "I'm uh.. I'm gonna need your help to stand up." I said, mock sheepishly. She strode forward and grabbed my arm to assist me. I stood up then dropped my pants once more. Her face lit up bright red as she glanced at my bare legs. Her eyes lingered on my junk for longer than I would've liked. She carefully unwrapped my leg. Blood covered up the rest of my scars, so she wouldn't be able to see them. Her hands started to glow a light green as she placed them over the cut. I hissed in pain once I could feel the wound start to close.

"Sorry." She whispered. I waved it off. "The numbness should go away once your cells have had time to settle and return blood flow back into your leg." She told me. I grunted in understanding. The pain subsided after a bit and she pulled her hands away. "There you go. Do you mind me asking how this happened?" She asked cautiously. I smiled at her.

"Thanks. It was really bothering me. Sasuke and I were training and he dug his kunai in a little too deep. Simple mistake."

"All the way around your thigh?"

"I was trying to do this really cool move I saw this other guy do. I was in the middle of a spin when he cut me." I lied smoothly.

"Why didn't you go to the hospital?"

"We didn't think anything of it until it went numb. Then he figured it would just be easier to bring you here."

"Why didn't Kyuubi heal it?" God damn! She was asking a lot of questions!

"He's been moody and didn't think it was life-threatening to heal it."

"Oh... What's that around your neck?" My hand reached up to see what she was talking about. Oh. The collar. I ran my fingers along the foreign symbols.

"Something Baa-chan got me."

"Didn't think you'd be one to wear something like that." She said, obviously relaxed now.

"Ya. Well. You know Baa-chan. If I don't wear it, she'd probably kill me." I chuckled. She laughed along with me. Sasuke came back in then. He glanced from me to her, then back. He was going to ask her to eat with us, I knew it. I frantically shook my head in disapproval, all but screaming no. He narrowed his eyes at me then turned to the pinkette.

"Sakura. Would you care to join us for dinner?" he asked her. Her eyes lit up with excitement.

"Really?"

"If you'd like, I could set up another place for you at the table." Sakura's face glowed with happiness.

"I'd love to join you! But are you sure I won't be intruding?" She asked hesitantly. I flipped my mental switch and grinned.

"Of course not, Sakura-chan! There's nothing to intrude on! It was going to be an awkward dinner anyways." I said honestly. The only conversation would be if the Uchiha started that and odds of that were slim. With Sakura there, the conversation wouldn't be one-sided. She grinned.

"Okay. Then I'll join you guys." She announced.

"Great!" I yelled with false excitement. Did her eyes just...? No, couldn't be. I was imagining things. I had to be. _'Kyuubi?' _I asked, hoping to contact the bijuu.

**"Yes kit?"** He answered after a moment.

_'Am I losing my mind?'_ I wondered.

**"Who's to say? You might already have lost it."** He paused. **"Why do you ask?"**

_'Because I think I'm seeing things.'_

**"Oh? Like what?"** He asked.

_'Well, just now.. Sakura. She-she.. I'm not sure. But it looked like...' _I trailed off. He plunged into my most recent memories.

**"Oh? You mean you just now noticed?"**

_'Huh? Noticed what?'_

**"She love you, you idiot."** He chuckled.

"WHAT?!" I shrieked out loud. My teammates turned to look at me, questions in their eyes.

"What's wrong?" Sakura asked.

"N-nothing. Come on, let's eat! I'm starving!" I shouted, grabbing their wrists and pulling them into the dining room which was set up for only two. Sasuke had made pork chops, mashed potatoes, rolls, and corn. The set closest to the kitchen had a glass filled with lemonade while the other had plain water in it. The Uchiha broke free of my grip then disappeared into the kitchen. He returned with another plate, glass, and set of silverware. He placed them in the middle then poured some lemonade into the glass. He then sat down in the spot nearest the kitchen, Sakura in the middle, and me at the other end. We filled out plates and they began eating. I simply moved my food around on my plate until it looked like I had ate some. I had became a master at fooling other into thinking I had eaten by adjusting my plate until it looked just right. When they looked, I would force myself to swallow a forkful of the food and continue to play with it.

_**A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed this! I tried to make it as long as possible which I believe I succeeded in doing. Five pages! But now my hands are cramping to so I'm going to end this now. Sorry for it being so late and I know you are probably tired of my excuses, but I had lot going on this month and it has been kinda hard on my family. So that might be why this chapter was kinda... Eh, but whatever. It's out, I'm done. And there's probably a lot of mistakes. Just overlook those please. I'd love it if you did. I don't feel like dealing with them at this point. I have decided what the item would be that Naruto was staring at last chapter and you will see it in the next one! But school is out for me and hopefully I'll get them up quicker now. Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed it! I love reviews *hint hint, wink wink*.**_


	10. Chapter 10

_**'Empty. That's what I feel most of the time. Like there's no emotion inside of me. Some people call it depressed. I call it normal.' SasuNaru. Naruto becomes depressed with Kyuubi whispering false things in his mind. He thinks he's fooled everyone, but there's a certain someone who won't stop until he's found out what has happened to the blonde.**_

_**A/N: I know I promised to upload faster, but my parents were away for a while, so I had to stay with my grandparents. And they have very little electronics. So that was fun. They got back yesterday, and it's the first time I've been home by myself. So, here it is! No more delaying! Time to DO THIS SHIT! Also, thanks for the reviews, favorites, and follows you've given me! This lovely chapter is in Sasuke's point of view! Yay~ Maybe next one will be in Sakura's!**_

Sakura and Naruto kept a steady stream of conversation during our meal with Naruto lying out of his ass. "Why aren't you doing any jobs lately? I saw that you were on temporary leave when I was filing Tsunade-sama's paperwork." She asked the Kyuubi vessel. He stiffened up for a moment before relaxing.

"Baa-chan thinks I should take a break and focus more on my training. Says something about how I should give the world a break from my awesomeness or something." He lied.

"I'm positive that is _not_ what she said." I said, staring down the blonde. He glared back, a low vibrating sound coming from him. Sakura seemed oblivious about it, as always. That thought angered me. Wasn't she supposed to be in love with him? Yet she still acted as though she liked me instead of him. "Sakura?" I turned my attention onto her. She snapped her gaze to meet mine.

"Nani?" She asked, curious.

"Did you get what I asked you to?" I questioned. She continued to stare at me for a moment longer before figuring out what I was asking for. She struggled to find it in her ninja pouch then pulled out a small purple box. She quickly handed it to me. I stood up from my spot and made my way to where Naruto was sitting. I crouched down to his level. He was befuddled, and his true self was showing. I opened the box to reveal a necklace, the same one the blonde had been looking at only hours before. Two foxes were curled in around each other, one with black fur and white eyes, with the other white with black eyes*. Their tails were wrapped around the other in the middle, making it absolutely beautiful. He sat, motionless, waiting. His mouth moved as if he was speaking with no words coming out. I wondered if he was speaking to the demon once more. "Why?" He finally chocked out. I smirked.

"You were staring at it earlier, weren't you? It seemed like you really wanted it, so I sent Sakura to get it, since I couldn't without you knowing and ruining the surprise." I explained. He seemed to understand because his fingers moved up to his collar.

"Are you going to put it on, or just stare at it?" Sakura snapped. Naruto's hand hovered over the accessory. "Dear Lord, just take it already!" She yelled. He snapped it out of the box then ran out of the room. I stood up the same time the female did, then stopped. She ran after him, yelling his name. I froze where I was, then sank onto the ground. She had no business going after him! He was _mine_!

-SasuNaru- Naruto's POV-

Sakura had followed me, I could still hear her footsteps attempting to find me. I cradled the necklace to my chest. Unknown tears flowed down my face. Why was I crying? Nothing sad had happened! I glanced down at my new jewelry. It was breathtaking, I would give it that. But looking at it... It made me feel as though there was a huge heart in my chest. The thought that _Sasuke Uchiha _had gotten this, just for me, made me feel as though that hole was slowly being healed.

**"Maybe this is part of his plan."** Kyuubi hissed in my mind.

"Plan for what?" I growled back.

**"To butter you up and prepare you for something bad?"** He suggested.

"Shut up! What if he does love me?!" I yelled. The Kyuubi was silent for a moment.

**"If he does love you? We'll see about that. But I'm right. I'm **_**always **_**right."** He ended with a chuckle, fading back into his cage. I let out a growl of frustration and punched the wall.

"What if who loves you?" That annoying female voice said. Just then I noticed that I had missed her steps getting closer in my conversation. I spun around to face her.

"No one Sakura-chan." I said, flipping my switch and giving her one of my fake smiles.

"Please... Tell me.. Is it Sasuke? Do you love him?" She whimpered out. My smiled fell from my face and I was back to normal, slightly angry at her.

"This is none of your business. Stay out of it." I growled. She looked down to her shoes.

"Do you love him?"

"You don't need to know that."

"I do!" She started yelling, causing me to raise my own voice as well.

"Why do you care so much?!"

"Because I love you, baka!" A sudden silence followed.

"No you don't." I broke it, whispering. It felt wrong to speak louder than that after the silence.

"Wha-? Why do you say that?"

"You don't love me. I'm just your crush right now. Soon you'll move on to 'love' somebody else. You will give up on my because I don't love you, nor will I ever be with you."

"You won't even give me a chance?" She looked like she was on the verge of tears.

"I can't." I turned my head away to look at the hole I had created in the wall.

"Why not?" She demanded.

"Because I love Sasuke!" I confessed, tears welling up in my eyes. I loved him, and he could just be using me for something. Suddenly, arms were around me. I cringed at the unfamiliar contact.

"Well that's good. Because, as I've told you, I love you too." Another voice said. I jumped and looked up to see the said bastard in front of me, smirking that damn smirk, leaning against the wall. I pushed Sakura away and quickly wiped my tears. She stepped away until she was out of my line of sight. The Uchiha walked forwards before snatching the necklace out of my hands. He spun me around and hooked it in the back for me. "Three things before you run off and get ready for bed." He whispered in my ear, breath tickling me causing me to shiver. I gulped. "One, I will never stop chasing you until you at least give me a chance. Two, you are required to wear this at all times. Three, you're going to fix that hole you made in my wall." He said before stepping back, giving me my much-needed space, and disappearing. I could feel my face heat up as the blood rushed to my cheeks. I turned my gaze to the hole I created, noticing that Sakura was gone as well. Then, as predicted, I ran to my room to get ready for bed.

_***- Thank you BFHwantsblood for suggesting the gift! You win my appreciation! Yay~**_

_**A/N: I'm ending that there because I'm not sure how I want Naruto to handle this situation. I'm debating on whether he should give Sasuke a chance (which is going to happen anyways, just with different events) or if he should hold off for a while. I put a poll up on my profile, so please go put your votes there! Also, there will be dark thoughts in the next chapters, so I'm just warning you now.**_


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